was a sleek, black town car.
“What would I do without you guys?” I asked as Tiffany slung her arm over my shoulders.
“You’d definitely be in a straitjacket by now,” she joked. “Let’s roll.”
“For a young girl, you certainly hold a lot of tension in your shoulders,” my masseuse, Kristianne, told me as she finished up my deep tissue massage.
“She has more stress than the usual sixteen-year-old,” Rose said, her voice muffled since her face, like mine, was mashed into a donut pillow.
They had no idea how much more stress. Even though the masseuses had told us to leave all electronic devices in the lockers with the rest of our clothes and personal items, I had managed to sneak my iPhone in and half-camouflage it under a towel on the chair in the corner. Every chance I got, I glanced casually in that direction to check if it had lit up with a text while I wasn’t paying attention. So far, it had been dormant.
“Okay, Reed,” Kristianne said in her quiet, soothing voice. “You can roll over.”
Kristianne held up the thick towel and blanket that were covering me, shielding my naked body from her view so I could roll onto my back. My head felt heavy and my brain was all fuzzy and relaxed. Even with the specter of my phone looming in the room, I had somehow managed to let a bit of my tension go.
“How was it?” Tiffany asked from the next bed.
“Amazing,” I replied. “Thanks, Kristianne. Thanks, you guys, for bringing me.”
“Anytime,” Rose said, rolling over as well.
“Okay. We’ll leave you girls now,” Rose’s masseuse, Joanna, said, standing with the other two near the door. They all wore cream-colored polo tops and khaki pants, like some kind of neutral relaxation brigade. “You’re free to enjoy lunch in the garden room, and remember to drink lots of water. It will help you flush out all the toxins.”
“We will,” Tiffany said, taking a deep breath with her eyes closed. “We’re good little toxin flushers.”
Rose snorted a laugh and the three masseuses exchanged an amused glance before walking out and leaving us to ourselves. I followed Tiffany’s example and just lay there for a moment, eyes closed, breathing in the soothing eucalyptus-scented candles and listening to the softly pinging guitar music. This was the one of the greatest gifts anyone could have given me. Why couldn’t Josh see how amazing my friends were? It wasn’t like he was running around trying to de-stress my chi and loosen my pressure points. Or whatever it was they did around here for a hundred bucks an hour.
“Okay. I’m starving,” Tiffany said, sitting up straight. “Let’s eat!”
Rose and I grabbed our soft terry cloth robes. Tiffany went to the cooler of cucumber water in the corner and filled three glasses, and Rose went to work securing her hair in a bun. While their backs were turned, I grabbed my phone from under the towel, turned it on to vibrate, and slid it into one of the pockets.
“For you, my dear,” Tiffany said, handing me a glass of water.
I downed it in a few gulps and refilled it.
“Wow. Thirsty?” Rose said.
I smiled. “I also have more toxins than your average sixteen-year-old,” I joked.
Together we walked out the side door of our “serenity room” and followed the signs pointing the way to the Garden Room. The large, airy space was dotted with small café tables, and three walls were made up of floor-to-ceiling windows, looking out over the bare trees behind the spa. A babbling brook cut its way through the snow, and overhead, white clouds raced their way across a clear, blue sky.
“So, Reed,” Rose said as we chose a table and glanced over the menu. It was all salads and fruits and teas. “What really happened with that whole snake thing? Did someone put you up to it?”
“Kind of,” I replied.
I had been expecting this question for the past two days, of course, and on the ride over I’d finally put the finishing touches on my cover story. I
“What would I do without you guys?” I asked as Tiffany slung her arm over my shoulders.
“You’d definitely be in a straitjacket by now,” she joked. “Let’s roll.”
“For a young girl, you certainly hold a lot of tension in your shoulders,” my masseuse, Kristianne, told me as she finished up my deep tissue massage.
“She has more stress than the usual sixteen-year-old,” Rose said, her voice muffled since her face, like mine, was mashed into a donut pillow.
They had no idea how much more stress. Even though the masseuses had told us to leave all electronic devices in the lockers with the rest of our clothes and personal items, I had managed to sneak my iPhone in and half-camouflage it under a towel on the chair in the corner. Every chance I got, I glanced casually in that direction to check if it had lit up with a text while I wasn’t paying attention. So far, it had been dormant.
“Okay, Reed,” Kristianne said in her quiet, soothing voice. “You can roll over.”
Kristianne held up the thick towel and blanket that were covering me, shielding my naked body from her view so I could roll onto my back. My head felt heavy and my brain was all fuzzy and relaxed. Even with the specter of my phone looming in the room, I had somehow managed to let a bit of my tension go.
“How was it?” Tiffany asked from the next bed.
“Amazing,” I replied. “Thanks, Kristianne. Thanks, you guys, for bringing me.”
“Anytime,” Rose said, rolling over as well.
“Okay. We’ll leave you girls now,” Rose’s masseuse, Joanna, said, standing with the other two near the door. They all wore cream-colored polo tops and khaki pants, like some kind of neutral relaxation brigade. “You’re free to enjoy lunch in the garden room, and remember to drink lots of water. It will help you flush out all the toxins.”
“We will,” Tiffany said, taking a deep breath with her eyes closed. “We’re good little toxin flushers.”
Rose snorted a laugh and the three masseuses exchanged an amused glance before walking out and leaving us to ourselves. I followed Tiffany’s example and just lay there for a moment, eyes closed, breathing in the soothing eucalyptus-scented candles and listening to the softly pinging guitar music. This was the one of the greatest gifts anyone could have given me. Why couldn’t Josh see how amazing my friends were? It wasn’t like he was running around trying to de-stress my chi and loosen my pressure points. Or whatever it was they did around here for a hundred bucks an hour.
“Okay. I’m starving,” Tiffany said, sitting up straight. “Let’s eat!”
Rose and I grabbed our soft terry cloth robes. Tiffany went to the cooler of cucumber water in the corner and filled three glasses, and Rose went to work securing her hair in a bun. While their backs were turned, I grabbed my phone from under the towel, turned it on to vibrate, and slid it into one of the pockets.
“For you, my dear,” Tiffany said, handing me a glass of water.
I downed it in a few gulps and refilled it.
“Wow. Thirsty?” Rose said.
I smiled. “I also have more toxins than your average sixteen-year-old,” I joked.
Together we walked out the side door of our “serenity room” and followed the signs pointing the way to the Garden Room. The large, airy space was dotted with small café tables, and three walls were made up of floor-to-ceiling windows, looking out over the bare trees behind the spa. A babbling brook cut its way through the snow, and overhead, white clouds raced their way across a clear, blue sky.
“So, Reed,” Rose said as we chose a table and glanced over the menu. It was all salads and fruits and teas. “What really happened with that whole snake thing? Did someone put you up to it?”
“Kind of,” I replied.
I had been expecting this question for the past two days, of course, and on the ride over I’d finally put the finishing touches on my cover story. I
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